Newsletters

BHF Quarterly Newsletter: 1st Qtr. 2017 In this Issue: 2016 Global Leadership Program in Review! Sister City Agreement – Signed! Community Building – The Snowball Effect Haiti Fest – Celebrating Cap-Haitien, Columbia’s Sister City 2016 Global Leadership Program in Review! In 2016, the program has moved in leaps and bounds. One of the initiatives that we have been working on in parallel with the GLP program is the Sister City program which you can learn more about in the Cap-Haitien “Sister City (CHSC) Agreement Signed!” article. Review Complete Version

Building Alliances for a Better Haiti In this Issue: Continued Engagement in the Community CHC-2016, The BHF 6th Annual Fundraiser Global Leadership Program Update CHSC Update BHF Welcomes New Board Member and Volunteers Continued Engagement in the Community The Build Haiti Foundation (BHF) continues to engage the Howard County community at different levels so that we may identify the different resources to support the Haitian and the Caribbean community living in the DC region. It is our observation that these communities have different gaps that need to be bridged so that we, as a community, may become more self-reliant and supportive of each other. Review Complete Version

Building Alliances for a Better Haiti In this Issue: Sister City Program Approved Summer Youth Leadership Program: BHF GLP School Adoption/Sister Parish Program Board Member/Volunteer Search BHF Programs: 2016 Calendar Sister City Program Approved We are thrilled to announce that, with approval from the Columbia Association, BHF is moving forward with a sister city program involving Columbia, MD and Cap-Haitien, Haiti, the second largest city in Haiti. This partnership offers a host of opportunities to connect via education, travel, business, culture, and more. Review Complete Version

Building Alliances for a Better Haiti Make the Holidays More Meaningful by Helping a Haitian Child! Most of us in the United States have more than we need, but there is a lot we can share to give hope and happiness to others. In Haiti, there are so many opportunities for making a difference. Children need to go to school; teachers go a full year unpaid; students sit in dark rooms without any connection to the bigger world trying to learn; communities have no access to potable water, and the list goes on and on. If you want to make a difference, you can help deserving Haitians today. Consider making a monthly or a one-time donation to support the following causes: $150 = 1-year tuition for a elementary school student $200 = 1-year tuition for a middle school student $300 = 1-year tuition for a high school student $700 = 1-year tuition for a university student $150 = 1-month salary for a teacher Can’t decide what to give? We accept any level donation for potable water and access- to-internet funds. Make your donation at www.thebuildhaitifoundation.org or by sending your payment to: The…

From L – R: David Weeks, Mayor Yvon Alteon, Bob Anantua Columbia Association and The Build Haiti Foundation continue to drive the sister city effort by providing necessary support to the committee comprising of over thirty members. Back in 2013, Bob Anantua, the Chairman of the sister city committee and David Weeks, the Vice-Chair of the same committee, traveled to Haiti and met with the then Mayor, Jean Renaud to discuss the interest expressed by the Columbia residents in a sister city relationship between Columbia and Cap-Haitian. The interest was expressed in the form of a letter from the Columbia Association. The individuals, institutions and the mayoral staff were all excited and a letter was immediately drafted by the Mayor’s office committing to the relationship. Both cities have a mutual interest in promoting culture, educational exchange, environmental sustainability, and numerous other ventures that may stem from this effort. Two years later, the incumbent mayor, Yvon Alteon, has provided his blessing with another letter to show his support and commitment to this effort. On…

From January 26 to 31st, Bob Anantua, the President of the Build Haiti Foundation and David Weeks, the BHF Board Chair, traveled to Haiti with the following objectives: Secure relationships for Sister City connection between Columbia, MD and Cap-Haitien, Haiti Establish International Rotary Cap-Haitien connection and identify potential Haitian projects for Ellicott City or Columbia Rotary Work on Haitian Logistics and Connections for Global Leadership Program (GLP) From the time they landed to the time they left, they were in constant motion to ensure that all of their objectives were met. Securing the relationship between the two cities involves an agreement between the different stakeholders which include the mayor’s office in Cap-Haitian and the Columbia Association. While the Build Haiti Foundation is a third party to this relationship, its role is not less significant. Its involvement is what introduced the idea of a sister city in the first place. BHF strongly believes that a sister city relationship is not just a signature between the two cities but rather an exchange, an inte…

The Build Haiti Foundation and the Columbia Association have been working to realize a sister city relationship between Cap-Haitian, Haiti and Columbia, MD. This is an idea that started a little bit over two years ago as part of the grand vision to continually expanding on the legacy of James Rouse, the great visionary, who saw the value that diversity brings into communities. The first meeting was held on December 13, 2014 where 29 members of the Howard County community came together to give life to this worthy initiative. In keeping with the vision of the Columbia Association to “make Columbia the community of choice today and for generation to come”, the room was buzzing with great ideas from the committee members brainstorming session. They took turn to offer great suggestions and feedbacks on the ideas being presented. Members of the committee are eager to be engaged and make a difference. At the committee’s second meeting which took place on January 13, 2015, an election was held to elect a board chair, two co-chairs and a secretary. Jean-Robert Anantua, the President and CEO o…

Today the Build Haiti Foundation is happy to announce the nomination of two new board members who will be supporting our community health initiative to educate as well as provide access to care to Haitians and the Caribbean community at large. Dr. Patrick Richard and Dr. Karen Francis are both leaders in their respective field. Known for their tenacity and no nonsense approach to get things done, we are very excited and humbled to welcome them both. Dr. Patrick Richard Dr. Richard is an Assistant Professor of Health Economics and Policy and Research Director within the Health Services Administration (HSA), Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics (PMB) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He is also a Professorial Lecturer at the George Washington (GW) University Health Economics and Policy Program and an affiliate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions. Dr. Karen Francis Dr. Francis is a senior researcher at American Institute of Research. Her primary areas of focus and research are in cultural and linguistic comp…

Testimonials

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I am so so bummed that I missed the Caribbean Culture Fest. These photos are just stunning, and I could just feel the fun and the vibes, as I went through them. WOW !!! What a great success this was !…

Linda Pots,

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Pat Fisher wrote the following about the Caribbean Culture Fest: The photographer captured some special moments! He has a knack for snapshots of interesting people. This was a superb culture fest! The…